Various compositions are available to mask odors in the air. Additionally, various compositions are available to sanitize and remove odors from the air. These compositions may be dispensed by various spray devices including aerosol dispensers.
Aerosol dispensers have been commonly used to dispense personal, household, industrial, and medical products, and to provide a low cost, easy to use method of dispensing a liquid product. Typically, aerosol dispensers include a container, which contains a liquid product to be dispensed, such as sanitizer, soap, insecticide, deodorant, or the like. A propellant is used to discharge the liquid product from the container. The propellant is under pressure and provides a force to expel the liquid product from the container when a user actuates the aerosol dispenser by, for example, pressing an actuator button.
A conventional aerosol dispenser generally comprises a container (not shown) for holding a liquid product and a propellant, and a valve assembly for selectively dispensing a liquid product from the container. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the valve assembly 104 comprises a mounting cup 106, a mounting gasket 108, a valve body 110, a valve stem 112, a stem gasket 114, an actuator cap 116, and a return spring 118. The valve stem 112, stem gasket 114, and return spring 118 are disposed within the valve body 110 and are movable relative to the valve body 110 to selectively control dispensing of the liquid product. The valve body 110 is affixed to the underside of the mounting cup 106, such that the valve stem 112 extends through, and projects outwardly from, the mounting cup 106. The actuator cap 116 is fitted onto the outwardly projecting portion of the valve stem 112 and is provided with an actuator orifice 132. The actuator orifice 132 directs the spray of the liquid product into the desired spray pattern. A dip tube 120 is attached to the lower portion of the valve body 110 to supply the liquid product to the valve assembly 104 to be dispensed. The whole valve assembly 104 is sealed to a container by the mounting gasket 108.
In operation, when the actuator cap 116 of a dispenser is depressed, the propellant forces the liquid product up the dip tube 120 and into the valve body 110 via a body orifice 122. In the valve body 110, the liquid product may be mixed with additional propellant supplied to the valve body 110 through a vapor tap 124. The vapor tap 124 helps to mix the liquid product and propellant in the valve body 110, to thereby break up the product into smaller particles suitable to be dispensed. From the valve body 110, the product is propelled through a stem orifice 126, out the valve stem 112, and through an actuator orifice 132 formed in the actuator cap 116.
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (S.C. Johnson) employs an aerosol valve similar to that shown in FIG. 3 in connection with their line of Oust® air sanitizers. The propellant used to propel the air sanitizer liquid product from the container may be a B-Series propellant having a propellant pressure of 40 psig (B-40), at 70° F. (2.722 atm at 294.261 K). “Propellant pressure” refers to the approximate vapor pressure of the propellant, as opposed to “can pressure,” which refers to the initial gauge pressure contained within a full aerosol container. The B-40 propellant is a composition of propane, normal butane, and isobutane. By normal butane, it is meant the composition denoted by the chemical formula C4H10, having a linear backbone of carbon. In order to effectively dispense this air sanitizer composition, the aerosol dispenser used by S.C. Johnson in connection with their line of Oust® air sanitizers has a stem orifice diameter of 2×0.020″ (2×0.508 mm), i.e., two holes of 0.020″ diameter, a vapor tap diameter of 0.020″ (0.508 mm), a body orifice diameter of 0.062″ (1.575 mm), and a dip tube inner diameter of 0.060″ (1.524 mm). Currently known aerosol air sanitizers contain hydrocarbon propellant in the amount of approximately 29.5% by weight of the contents of the dispenser assembly along with 6-8.8% glycol levels and pure alcohol solvent.
Hydrocarbon propellants are considered to be Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The content of VOCs in aerosol air sanitizers has the potential to be regulated by federal and/or state regulatory agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resource Board (CARB). S.C. Johnson continuously strives to provide environmentally friendly products and regularly produces products that exceed government regulatory standards.
One way to reduce the VOC content in such aerosol air sanitizers is to reduce the content of the hydrocarbon propellant used to dispense the liquid product. However, a reduction in the propellant content can adversely affect the product performance. Specifically, reducing the propellant content in the aerosol air sanitizer may result in excessive product remaining in the container at the end of the life of the dispenser assembly (product retention) and an increase in the size of particles of the dispensed product (increased particle size). It is desirable to minimize the particle size of a dispensed product in order to maximize the dispersion of the particles in the air and to prevent the particles from “raining” or “falling out” of the air. Thus, an aerosol dispenser assembly that can satisfactorily dispense an aerosol product that comprises, at most, 25% by weight, of a hydrocarbon propellant, while providing high quality product performance throughout the life of the dispenser assembly is desired.
The “life of the dispenser assembly” is defined in terms of the pressure within the container (i.e., the can pressure), such that the life of the dispenser assembly is the period between when the pressure in the container is at its initial pressure (typically a maximum) and when the pressure within the container is substantially depleted, i.e., equal to atmospheric pressure.
One known method of reducing the particle size of a dispensed liquid product is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,642 to Crowell et al. (the '642 patent), which is incorporated herein by reference. The '642 patent discloses a spray head that incorporates a “breakup bar” for inducing turbulence in a product/propellant mixture prior to the mixture being discharged from the spray head. Such turbulence contributes to reducing the size of the mixture particles discharged from the spray head.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,555 which discloses an aerial disinfectant containing at least one polyhydroxy compound selected from a group including triethylene glycol (TEG), and at least one α-hydroxy carboxylic acid. TEG is disclosed as used as a bactericide in the disinfectant spray. The disinfectant can be a self-propelled pressurized aerosol spray.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 2,757,278 which discloses a combination ozone lamp and a vaporizer as a sanitary device. The '278 patent discloses that TEG is known for controlling odors, germs and bacteria. Vaporizers used therewith generally are operated by a resistance heater, such as an incandescent lamp.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,236 B1 which discloses a non-aerosol non-wick pump spray system consisting of an emulsion of TEG, surfactant, fragrance and distilled water. The system neutralizes tobacco smoke and sterilizes air of any airborne bacteria. Certain glycols, e.g. TEG, are capable of reacting with airborne bacteria. TEG is stated to be known to link with airborne tobacco smoke-based odors. TEG is disclosed for use in an amount of 0.5-6%. An aqueous TEG formula is also disclosed as an effective tobacco smoke odor neutralizer.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,566 which discloses disinfecting aerosol compositions including pyridinium halide salts admixed with a terpene to provide bacteriostatic activity. At column 5, lines 41-45, additives are disclosed which include TEG to provide additional disinfectant qualities and to control the humectant and degree of drying.
Also known is U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0026462 A1 which discloses an aerosol oxygenated air freshener including about 40 vol % compressed ambient air and a liquid component. The liquid component includes 50-90% water, 0.1-5% fragrance, 0.1-2% sodium nitrate, 0.5-5% TEG, and 5-50% propellant. Optional components include a solvent, anti-corrosive agent, surfactants, and mixtures thereof. TEG is stated to be present as an anti-corrosive agent. Example 1 at page 2 discloses an aerosol spray composition containing deionized water, TEG, sodium nitrate, SPAN 85 (sodium trioleate), ARLACEL C (sorbitan sesquioleate), ethanol, fragrance and a hydrocarbon blend.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,479 which discloses foam cleaners useful on hard surfaces. An example of a foam cleaner set forth in column 6, Table 1, Example 9 is stated to be a commercially available foam cleaner including C9-11 oxoalcohol 8EO, TEG, sodium citrate, water, fragrance and corrosion inhibitor.
Also known is International Published Application No. WO 00/54585 which discloses a germicidal composition for disinfecting or exterminating microorganisms which cause unpleasant odors and mildew. The composition includes a quaternary ammonium fungicide, a triazine bactericide and a volatile diluent which is an alcohol or a mixture of alcohol and water. Optional ingredients disclosed include TEG. The purpose of the TEG is not disclosed. The composition is dispensed by spraying.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,413 which discloses an aerial disinfectant for use in an air circulator to continuously reduce airborne bacteria in the surrounding atmosphere. Germicidal concentrations of glycol vapor are known to be odorless, tasteless, non-irritating, non-toxic, invisible and to have no deleterious effect on walls, fabrics, books or other objects in a treated space. The disinfectant composition includes the three essential components of (1) at least one glycol, (2) an organic polar coupling compound for maintaining homogeneity of the composition to prevent the glycol from separating out, and (3) an organic relatively non-polar compound for forming hydrophobic micelles with glycol molecules to reduce affinity of the glycol to atmospheric moisture, and thus increasing the rate of evaporation. The glycol component can be TEG.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,279 which discloses a liquid sterilizing composition including the reaction product of a non-ionic surfactant, a gluteraldehyde and TEG.
Also known is U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0145965 A1 which discloses a method of reducing undesirable odors generated in paper hand towels upon wetting involving the topical application of TEG, polyethylene glycol, a glycerol compound or mixtures thereof to a partially dewatered tissue web formed during a manufacturing process. Topical application can be by spraying.